Allentown Councilwoman Emma Tropiano has fired a letter to Gov. Robert Casey demanding an apology for the findings of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs. She also questioned whether he had even read the report before it was made public.

Tropiano, widely considered an unwitting catalyst who has angered local Latinos and who brought the commission to Allentown in the first place, said, "The report's tone is paternalistic, patronizing and condescending in general, but particularly to Latinos.

"It seems to assume that Latinos aren't capable of change, adoption or learning English, so key segments of American society must learn Spanish as a second language and adopt Latino culture instead," Tropiano wrote.

"This strange logic is especially degrading and demanding (sic) to those many Latinos who have proven capable of achievement without the special pleading that bleeds from this report. I and many others believe Latinos can learn English effectively. Your commission apparently does not," the letter reads.

Tropiano went on to write that the report is "full of inaccuracies" and "so lacking in professional competence as to be an embarrassment both to the commission and to you as chief executive of the commonwealth."

The report, Tropiano said, "is an insult to the people fo Allentown, its Latino community and to me personally. I hereby demand an apology from you and the commission itself."

John Taylor, Casey's deputy press secretary, said the governor was not in Harrisburg and was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Taylor said he didn't know whether Casey had read the 41-page report on the conditions of the Allentown Latino community. But, he indicated, generally someone on the governor's staff reads such reports before they are issued.

Casey, however, had no direct hand in the commission's hearings or its findings, according to Taylor.

"Whatever they did, they did on their own," Taylor said.

Tropiano's letter was prepared and sent yesterday, so Casey has not yet received it.

Tropiano, who is the only city official mentioned by name in the report, also attacked the commission for "portraying Latinos as helpless children in need of special aid not available or needed for all the Asiatics and Europeans previously settled here, who somehow learned English."

To Casey, she wrote, "Your commission has lost its way and let you down."

Tropiano, who has galvanized much of the Latino community for saying they were responsible for 99 percent of the crime downtown, said she felt driven to respond to the report because it will hinder Latino efforts to become integrated in the community.

Tropiano, also known for having proposed English as the city's official language, said the report would impede Latinos' social and economic progress.

"If it doesn't take the Latino community backward, I don't know what will. I spoke to several Latino people, and they're not excited about this report either. This report has definitely been a hindrance," Tropiano said.

The report has had mixed reviews. Some have criticized it for failing to take into account many programs that were under way when the hearings were convened in June.

Others, including Allentown Mayor Joseph Daddona, have called the report a blueprint for action. Daddona said he will appoint a panel to address the issues raised in the report.